A peak at Princess

[Oceanwench]

DH and I were aboard the Regal Princess last week for the ship's naming ceremony.

 

We've never been on a Princess ship - we only sail HAL (with one Royal Caribbean cruise long ago) and we're happy with the line.

 

But Regal Princess was impressive.

Bigger than any ship we've been on, so we got lost all the time!

 

But I must say, the buffet restaurants - Horizon Bistro and Horizon Court - were amazing! The layout was so much better than HAL's Lido, much more handicap friendly. Lots of room to maneuver for a wheelchair. And there were a lot of crew members there to help out.

 

Although the shops were not open (the ship was in port), there were many more than on a HAL ship, all clustered around the 3-story atrium.

 

I guess if the ship were at 100 percent capacity, or close, it wouldn't feel so spacious or uncrowded.

 

Our balcony cabin was a good size, and the bathroom arrangement with a roll-in shower was easily accessible.

 

Parking was a breeze, as was getting to the terminal. So different for us not to be at Terminal 26 or one of the others near the Midport Garage.

 

We're talking about taking a Princess Cruise in 2015, based on the positive experience.

[Oceanwench]

Ugh - can't edit the thread title?

 

Make that a 'peek" at Princess. :rolleyes:

[kazu]

Awesome to be there for the naming and ceremony.

 

You must have had a fabulous time.

 

There were a lot of stars there from what I read. Did you see them?

 

Did she play the Love Boat song at all?

 

Tell us more. Post pics.

 

This sounds very exciting and it is so nice of you to share with us

 

Can't wait:D

[hrhdhd]

How neat to be on the ship for those festivities. Did you get a chance to speak to any of the Love Boat cast?

 

I will be on the Regal in a few weeks, and I can't wait to check the ship out. We started on smaller ships with Princess (Dawn and Island), then moved to larger ones (Emerald and, in two weeks, Ruby). We have enjoyed all of those cruises, and right now, Princess is my line of choice. Well, after Azamara, but I can't swing those as often. :)

 

Hopefully HAL's new build will have a different, and interesting, design that will have them moving forward.

[rkacruiser]

Thanks for your post!

 

A veranda cabin: Please comment on the size of the veranda as compared to a standard veranda cabin on a Vista or Signature Class ship.

[RuthC]

My friends are trying to convince me to try a Princess cruise, but they think I'll need a handicap cabin to have enough room to hold my scooter. I would prefer not to take such a cabin, as I don't otherwise need the amenities. I would rather leave it for someone who does.

Do you happen to know if Princess will pick up a scooter, store it overnight, and return it in the morning, as HAL is known to do (I've always been able to fit it in my HAL cabin, but not all of them are large enough).

 

Was the shower in the handicap cabin separate from the toilet, unlike some of the HAL ships? :mad:

 

How was the coffee? Has Princess improved the wake-up juice?

 

Thanks for any answers you might have.

[CowPrincess]

DH and I were aboard the Regal Princess last week for the ship's naming ceremony.

 

We've never been on a Princess ship - we only sail HAL (with one Royal Caribbean cruise long ago) and we're happy with the line.

 

But Regal Princess was impressive.

Bigger than any ship we've been on, so we got lost all the time!

 

But I must say, the buffet restaurants - Horizon Bistro and Horizon Court - were amazing! The layout was so much better than HAL's Lido, much more handicap friendly. Lots of room to maneuver for a wheelchair. And there were a lot of crew members there to help out.

 

Although the shops were not open (the ship was in port), there were many more than on a HAL ship, all clustered around the 3-story atrium.

 

I guess if the ship were at 100 percent capacity, or close, it wouldn't feel so spacious or uncrowded.

 

Our balcony cabin was a good size, and the bathroom arrangement with a roll-in shower was easily accessible.

 

Parking was a breeze, as was getting to the terminal. So different for us not to be at Terminal 26 or one of the others near the Midport Garage.

 

We're talking about taking a Princess Cruise in 2015, based on the positive experience.

 

Is this where the Love Boat cast reassembled? And they have some connection (godparents?) to the new ship? Did you get a chance to meet (or even see) any of them?

 

Sounds pretty interesting, can you share more details about the naming ceremony? You know, the VIPs, the food, the alcohol (if applicable) :D Did you get to rub elbows with people whose names we might recognize?

[Oceanwench]

Lots of questions to answer!

 

Jacqui & Cow Princess: Yes, the cast of The Love Boat was on the ship. They are the godparents.

I only spoke to Jill Whelan (Vicki, the Captain's daughter), who is a lovely, witty young woman. She handled the "gold carpet" interviews of the TV stars of the '70s and '80s who attended.

 

Tori Spelling was supposed to do that - and emcee the naming ceremony - but was unable to attend.

 

I did attend a Q&A session with the entire Love Boat cast, which was a lot of fun, and we heard many interesting stories about filming the series.

Lauren Tewes (CD Julie) said her mother went on a cruise while she was battling cancer, and she told Lauren (this was pre-Love Boat), "If you do one thing for yourself in life, take a cruise."

 

The TV stars who attended all had appeared on The Love Boat. They ranged from Marion Ross (Happy Days) to Jamie Farr (MASH) to Florence Henderson (Brady Bunch).

 

After the naming ceremony there was a gala dinner with all the stars. We saw many come and go, and we sat by Dick Van Patten and Kristy McNichol. Of course we could not approach any of them until after dinner - but many had left because they were catching early morning flights.

 

We did get to meet Charo - who is a friendly, funny, kind person; Joyce DeWitt (Three's Company) who is also very friendly and sweet; and Charlene Tilton (Dallas), who gave my husband a kiss!

 

But the rock star of the night - for me anyway - was Stein Kruse! We talked to him about 5 minutes and sung the praises of HAL.

 

The reason The Love Boat cast was chosen as godparents is because the series was filmed aboard Princess ships.

[Oceanwench]

Cow Princess: First was the "gold carpet" interviews, on a stage constructed over the fountain pool.

The naming ceremony followed. That was emceed by Florence Henderson.

Among the VIPs were Jan Swartz, Princess President; Stein Kruse; Arnold Donald; Micky Arison.

Jack Jones sung The Love Boat theme, and Charo played a classical guitar piece.

 

The ship was christened with 50 bottles of champagne lined up alongside the ship, to mark the 50th anniversary of the line. There was a 51st bottle to symbolize the next 50 years.

 

Following the dinner gala - which was by invitation only in the Concerto dining room - there was a deck party with a live band and fireworks. There were shots passed around in souvenir shot glasses. We had the Bailey's - not sure what the other was.

They also passed around chocolate truffles on a stick - lollipops - and chocolates filled with Grand Marnier on a stick.

 

Yes, they tooted The Love Boat theme on the horns!

[Oceanwench]

Ruth: I don't know anything about scooters - DH has a power chair. The cabin was plenty big enough for that.

 

The bathroom shower was great - sturdy fold-down seat and yes, separate from the toilet, when you shut the curtain. That is one thing we don't like about HAL's SY and above - the shower and the toilet being together when you pull the curtain shut. Makes for a mess.

 

I drink decaf and I was able to tolerate the decaf on Princess. I can only drink the decaf in the Neptune on HAL - for some reason that coffee doesn't upset my stomach the way the coffee everywhere else (Lido, MDR) does.

 

DH drinks regular coffee and he had no complaints. There was always someone coming by to fill our cups - unlike the Lido, where our experience has been that it's quicker to get up and fill your own.

 

Ice Cream Bar was a disappointment - only soft-serve. Topping hidden behind the counter. We always find the ice cream on HAL to be such a treat!

 

I would give Princess a try, Ruth! Royal or Regal for sure.

[Lizzie68]

Sounds like it was a wonderful event - and I appreciate hearing about the ship. I must admit to being tempted to try Princess but have heard the cabins are rather small and beds not comfortable. It's great that you actually met Stein Kruse as well. Thanks for the info.:)

[regnig]

My friends are trying to convince me to try a Princess cruise, but they think I'll need a handicap cabin to have enough room to hold my scooter. I would prefer not to take such a cabin, as I don't otherwise need the amenities. I would rather leave it for someone who does.

Do you happen to know if Princess will pick up a scooter, store it overnight, and return it in the morning, as HAL is known to do (I've always been able to fit it in my HAL cabin, but not all of them are large enough). No, not unless it is a new service being offered. When I took my mom & her wheelchair it had to be stored within the stateroom at all times.

 

Was the shower in the handicap cabin separate from the toilet, unlike some of the HAL ships? :mad: Nope.

 

How was the coffee? Has Princess improved the wake-up juice? Only if you want to pay extra for "brewed coffee".

 

Thanks for any answers you might have.

 

Sorry Ruth as I don't think those are the answers you wanted.

[sapper1]

I loved reading your account of what must have been a magical once in a lifetime experience. Thanks for taking us along for the ride------- oops, sail.

[Oceanwench]

rkacruiser: We were assigned to a cabin, we didn't choose our own, so I never really figured out what category it was.

 

Because DH is in a power chair, we only book HC accessible cabins on HAL.

Hard to compare with our Princess cabin, as we have booked suites on HAL on our last few cruises, and SYs before that.

 

I think our cabin - A434 (Aloha Deck - Deck 12) was roomy enough for us for the two nights we were aboard.

The balcony was small, but then again, we have stayed in suites our last three cruises and have had large balconies.

 

We were pleased that the mattress was lower - not sure if it was fulfilling our request, or they just don't have those high pillow tops. It was the perfect height for DH to transfer to.

 

If I book the Regal Princess, I would look to move up to a higher category for more space.

 

We loved the TV - mounted on the wall - and the choices of movies (without needing to call for a DVD) and TV shows. They also had old episodes of The Love Boat, which was fun to see.

[Oceanwench]

I think Ruth was talking about the separation between toilet and shower when you draw the curtain.

 

On HAL - in the SY and above cabins - when you pull the curtain to take a shower, you and the toilet are inside the curtain. If you forget to remove the extra roll of TP, it can get drenched. The whole toilet area gets soaked.

 

In our Princess cabin, when you drew the curtain shut to take a shower, the curtain was between the toilet and shower, so the toilet area stayed dry.

[Oceanwench]

I loved reading your account of what must have been a magical once in a lifetime experience. Thanks for taking us along for the ride------- oops, sail.

 

Thanks! :)

It was a once in a lifetime experience, one I am grateful we had the opportunity to enjoy.

And it opened my eyes to possibilities down the road!

 

We love HAL and to go out and book another cruise line is a little scary -- afraid we might regret our choice. So it's wonderful to get the chance to check out another cruise line and get an idea of what it's like.

 

Wish we could make it up to the Quantum of the Seas christening in a week or so, but DH can't fly. :(

[sail7seas]

Thanks for sharing with us. It was fun reading.

Ship Naming Ceremonies are wonderful. Very special you were able to attend and meet so many people. :)

 

[OCruisers]

Thanks for your review! Very helpful! :)

Did you have a chance to check out the SeaView Bar?

LuLu

[RuthC]

Thanks Ocean Wench and Larsen; I think between the two of you I have a pretty good idea of what I would be facing if I were to book a Princess cruise.

[MishelleMcc]

How fun!!!!! Thank you for sharing!!!!!

[Oceanwench]

Thanks for your review! Very helpful! :)

Did you have a chance to check out the SeaView Bar?

LuLu

 

If that's the bar next to the Sky Walk - yes!

 

It's a little overwhelming to take it all in, when you're only aboard for two nights. Whereas HAL ships are like coming home, this was all new and info overload!

 

I've only attempted once to upload a photo and did not have much success.

I will try to attach a pic of The Love Boat crew with Jan Swartz at the far right. It was from the Q & A.

[Topo Gigio]

I'm sure everything will be top notch when I cruise later this month, but since your cruise was one with a lot of invited guests, I'm pretty sure they went that extra mile!

[Oceanwench]

I would agree with that! :p

[PathfinderEss]

Enjoyed your report, sounds like you really enjoyed the ship and the festivities.

[mamaofami]

My friends are trying to convince me to try a Princess cruise, but they think I'll need a handicap cabin to have enough room to hold my scooter. I would prefer not to take such a cabin, as I don't otherwise need the amenities. I would rather leave it for someone who does.

Do you happen to know if Princess will pick up a scooter, store it overnight, and return it in the morning, as HAL is known to do (I've always been able to fit it in my HAL cabin, but not all of them are large enough).

 

Was the shower in the handicap cabin separate from the toilet, unlike some of the HAL ships? :mad:

 

How was the coffee? Has Princess improved the wake-up juice?

 

Thanks for any answers you might have.

 

Ruth, I'm hoping to book a Princess cruise with some friends and have been making the same kind of inquires. I planned on taking a mini suite since I see room for a scooter in the sofa area. The suite looks much like Hal's balcony cabins. I've called and asked(hopefully they know the answers) and all the bathrooms have grab bars in the shower and or tub areas as well as the toilet area. I don't want to take a handicapped cabin that I don't need.

 

My recent experiences with Hal, unlike previous ones, is that they no longer allow the scooters in the hall, but some ships will store them for the night and others will not. You've sailed more recently than I have, so you would know their policy now.I've heard Princess won't do that which means of course that it has to fit inside the cabin.

 

I have a travelscoot junior which is smaller than a regular one. It rolls right inside the door to the cabin and then has to be maneuvered around a bit. I love traveling with it because it takes care of me on board and in ports and allows me to go and do things I couldn't otherwise do.